Tag



Dec. 26, 193 9. c A FLQQD 2,184,777

TAG

Filed Feb. 17, 1938' til Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATE.

TAG

Application February 1'7, 1938.. Serial No. 191,015

7 Claims.

In attaching tags, such as price tickets, to fabrics and other merchandise, it is often desirable to avoid the use of pins, staples and the like, particularly in the case of sheer fabrics which are easily damaged. Consequently many attempts have been made to develop so-called pinless tickets characterized by an opening therein and an integral tongue the free end of which is adapted to be tucked in the opening with fabric between the tongue and the edge of the opening, thereby to interlock the ticket to the fabric. have been unsatisfactory, chiefly because of a pronounced tendency of the cardboard tongue to break and/or to pull out of the opening accidentally in handling the fabric.

Objects of the present invention are to overcome the aforesaid difficulties and to produce a tag of the aforesaid type which not only avoids damage to the fabric but does not readily break or become detached accidentally.

In one aspect the invention involves a tongue shaped to seat against the edge of the opening in the tag (instead of merely projecting through the opening) thereby to pinch the fabric against said edge. While this pinching action may be secured in many ways it is preferably attained by tapering the free end of the tongue and making the opening narrower than the widest part of the taper so that the tongue may be wedged in the opening.

In another aspect of the invention the tongue is formed of wire or other material which when bent will retain its bent shape and when again straightened will retain its new shape, whereby the tongue may be readily inserted through the opening in bent form and then caused to interlock the fabric by straightening the tongue more or less. In the case of a tongue tapered as aforesaid it is preferably straightened until the Stapered end bears snugly against opposite edges of the opening. When formed of wire the tongue is preferably in the shape of a bail having pivotal ends for attachment to the tag so that the bail may swing toward and from the opening. The bail may be bent in the process of manufacture or it may be bent in the process of applying the tag to fabric. In either case the bail is straightened more or less in application to the fabric. .While these tags are well adapted to manual application they are especially adapted to application to fabric by special attaching machines which may be operated by hand or by power.

In another aspect the invention involves an However, most of these pinless tickets arrangement whereby the cut edges of the metallic tongue are embedded within the tag to shield the fingers and fabric from injury by said edges. In the preferred embodiment this shielding is effected by folding and cementing the tag over the cut ends of the wire bail.

Other aspects of the invention will be evident from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a face view of one embodiment; I

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same embodiment;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the tag attached to fabric;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a face view of another embodiment;

Fig. 6 is a similar View showing the tag attached to fabric;

Fig. 7 is a face view of still another embodiment;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the tag of Fig. 7 attached to fabric;

Fig. 9 is a similar view of another modification;

Fig. 10 is a similar View of still another modification;

Fig. 11 is an edge view of the same modification;

Fig. 12 is a face view of the same modification;

Fig. 13 is a bottom edge view of the same modification; and

Fig. 13a is a side view of a modified tongue.

The particular embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4 comprises a piece of tag stock folded at l to form front and back portions 2 and 3 which are cemented together throughout their abutting surfaces. At the folded edge the tag has a portion cut out at t to receive the tongue 5 which is in the form of a wire bail having out-turned ends 6 pivotally mounted within the fold of the tag stock. As shown in Fig. 2 the tongue is preferably bent as indicated at 1 and 8,-the bend l providing clearance for the fabric and the bend it facilitating attachment to the fabric. Instead of a sharp bend 8 the bend may be gradual and extend throughout any desired extent lengthwise of the tongue. At 9 the tag is provided with an opening to receive the free end of the tongue. To attach the tag to fabric F the margin of the fabric is inserted between the tongue and the tag, preferably until the edge of the fabric seats against the bend 7 in the tongue. The tongue is then swung in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2) until the free end of the tongue has pressed the fabric through the opening 9 after which the bend 8 is straightened enough to cause the tapered end of the tongue to pinch the fabric into the lower corners of the opening 9, thereby interlocking the fabric in the opening not only because the free end of the straightened tongue projects below the lower edge of the opening 9 but also because of the aforesaid pinching or' gripping action. While the wire of the bail is soft enough to remain straightened it has enough resiliency yieldingly to pinch the fabric in the opening. If the tag stretches the resiliency of the bail causes it to expand, thereby to continue to pinch the fabric. This pinching action stresses the tag stock in the region of the opening 9 but inasmuch as the stress is in the form of tension the tag stock has ample strength to counteract this stress. As shown in Fig. 4 the bend 1 permits the tag to remain substantially flat after it is applied to the fabric; without the bend 1 the end of the tag would be flexed as shown at H] in Fig. 9.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the lower edge of the opening II is concave and the free end of the bail 12, instead of being tapered, is also concave. Before the tag is attached to fabric the bail l2 may or may not be provided with a bend such as shown at l in Fig. 2, but it should be provided with a bend corresponding to bend 8 in Fig. 2. The tag is applied to fabric as above described except that after the free end of the tongue has pressed the fabric through the opening H and before the tongue is straightened the free end is twisted, by pulling one leg of the tongue back through the opening, so that when the tongue is straightened the two legs extend to opposite sides of the tag with the concave end of the tongue seating on the concave edge of the opening it as shown in Fig. 6. In this case the fabric is pinched between the concave portions of the tongue and opening so that the resulting tension set up in the tag extends only lengthwise of the tag and not crosswise. Instead of concaving both the end of the tongue and the edge of the opening a similar result can be obtained by concaving only the end of the tongue or the edge of the opening. The embodiment shown in Figs. '7 and 8 is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 except in that the tongue I3 is shaped so as not to wedge into the opening M but merely to overlap the lower edge of the opening when the tag is applied to fabric as above described.

In the modification shown in Figs. 10 to 13 inelusive the opening l5 of the tag is circular and the sides N3 of the tongue extend in parallel planes to the free end of the tongue where the sides are bent inwardly at IT and then toward the tag at 8 to form a lip I9 adapted to hook over the lower edge of the opening l5 when the tongue is straightened as aforesaid, thereby to pinch the fabric between the lower edge of the opening and the bent portions 18.

In each of the illustrated embodiments the tongue may be bent, as shown at I and 8 in Fig. 2, either in the process of manufacture or in the process of attaching the tag to fabric. The tags may be formed individually or in strip form. When in strip form they may be rolled or folded back and forth fanwise; and when fanfolded the tongues are preferably not bent until they are unfolded for use. In straightening the tongues in the process of application it will be understood that while the bend 8 is preferably removed it may partially remain if the end of the tongue seats in the opening before the tongue is completely straightened. By using moderately soft wire the tongues can be bent by hand. For machine attachment the wire may have any desired degree of stiffness and resiliency. By causing the tag to resist the aforesaid gripping action in tension the maximum strength of the tag is utilized. By forming the tag of paper, cardboard, fabric or the like it may readily be detached from fabric by tearing the tag from its margin to the opening into which the free end of the tongue projects without any manipulation of the tongue. If the tongue were formed of any ordinary tag material it would be relatively weak because such material is much weaker in compression than in tension, but by forming the tongue of metal or other material which is strong in compression the thrust of the tongue on the tag may be increased more or less to the full tensile strength of the tag stock.

The aforesaid resiliency of the bail serves to keep the bail from swinging freely because of the friction between the legs of the bails and the edges of the opening 4. This friction may be increased by bending the wire as indicated at 20 in Fig. 130. to provide recesses to receive the aforesaid edges. These recesses also serve to hold the ends 9 snugly, against the tag stock while the tag is being folded and cemented, the legs of the bail snapping apart as the bail reaches its fully inserted position in the opening 4.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tag having an opening therein and, pivotally mounted thereon at one side of the opening, a metallic tongue for anchoring fabric in the opening, the tongue extending through said opening from one side of the'tag with its free end overlapping the other side of the tag on the other side of said opening, the angle between the tag and the tip of the tongue being less than 90.

2. A tag having an opening therein and, pivotally mounted thereon at one side of the opening, a metallic tongue for anchoring fabric in the opening, the tongue extending through said opening from one side of the tag with its free end overlapping the other side of the tag on the other side of said opening and the tongue being shaped to pinch the fabric against the edge of the opening with the tongue in compression and the tag in tension, the angle between the tag and the tip of the tongue being less than 90.

3.. A tag having an opening therein, mounted thereon at one side of the opening, a tongue for anchoring fabric in the opening, the tongue having its sides spaced apart a distance greater than the corresponding dimension of the opening and having its free end tapered to a dimension smaller than said dimension, the tongue extending through said opening from one side of the tag with its free end overlapping the other side of the tag on the other side of the opening and with said tapered end wedging the fabric in the opening.

4. A tag having an opening therein and pivotally mounted thereon a tongue in the form of a wire bail having pivotal ends embedded in the tag to permit the tongue to swing toward and from the opening. 7

5. A tag having an opening therein and a tongue for anchoring fabric in the opening, the tongue being pivotally connected with the tag at one side of the opening and being long enough to extend through the opening into overlapping relationship with the far edge of the opening, characterized in that the tongue is formed of wire which when bent retains its bent shape and which when applied is bent so that its free end will swing through the opening, whereby the tongue need not be held in bent shape while it is caused to press the fabric through the opening.

6. A tag having an opening therein and a tongue for anchoring fabric in the opening, the tongue being pivotally connected with the tag at one side of the opening and being long enough to extend through the opening into overlapping relationship with the far edge of the opening, characterized in that the tongue is formed of stiff wire which when bent retains its bent shape and which when straightened retains its new shape, said end being shaped to seat against said edge and the tongue being long enough to subject the tongue to lengthwise compression and the tag to tension in the corresponding dimension when said end is seated against said edge with fabric therebetween and the tongue is straightened, thereby to pinch the fabric against said edge.

7. A tag having an opening therein and comprising two parts folded together and a stifi wire bail having pivotal ends extending between said parts along the fold line, said parts being interconnected to hold said ends therebetween while leaving the ends free-to revolve within the fold 

